IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v401y2025ipbs0306261925013601.html

Mining urban sustainable performance: Unlocking the energy-saving potential of office buildings through smart control technology usage

Author

Listed:
  • Song, Xiaoya
  • Lu, Haiyan
  • Dong, Kechuan
  • Jin, Yanxiu
  • Yu, Qing
  • Zhang, Haoran

Abstract

The building sector accounts for approximately 40 % of global energy consumption and 30 % of greenhouse gas emissions, with office buildings constituting a major share of energy use within the commercial sector. Smart control technologies present substantial potential for energy reduction by accommodating flexible operational schedules and diverse functional demands. This study classifies Tokyo into three urban zones, including core, vertical, and peri-office, based on established urban planning principles. Among them, the Core Zone exhibits the greatest potential for energy savings, followed by the Vertical and Peri-office zones. Seasonal analysis reveals that energy-saving potential peaks in summer, while significant daytime savings are observed in the Core and Vertical Zones due to elevated lighting demands shaped by hybrid post-pandemic work patterns. From a policy perspective, these findings underscore the need for zone-specific energy strategies that align with spatial variations in demand and savings potential. Moreover, adaptive smart control technologies should be promoted to respond effectively to both seasonal and diurnal fluctuations in energy use. Integrating these temporal dynamics into policy frameworks is essential for optimizing building performance and advancing urban energy resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Song, Xiaoya & Lu, Haiyan & Dong, Kechuan & Jin, Yanxiu & Yu, Qing & Zhang, Haoran, 2025. "Mining urban sustainable performance: Unlocking the energy-saving potential of office buildings through smart control technology usage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 401(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:401:y:2025:i:pb:s0306261925013601
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126630
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261925013601
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126630?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Isazadeh, Amin & Ziviani, Davide & Claridge, David E., 2023. "Global trends, performance metrics, and energy reduction measures in datacom facilities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    2. Ang, Yu Qian & Berzolla, Zachary Michael & Reinhart, Christoph F., 2020. "From concept to application: A review of use cases in urban building energy modeling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    3. Hernández, José L. & de Miguel, Ignacio & Vélez, Fredy & Vasallo, Ali, 2024. "Challenges and opportunities in European smart buildings energy management: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    4. Zhang, Wuxia & Wu, Yupeng & Calautit, John Kaiser, 2022. "A review on occupancy prediction through machine learning for enhancing energy efficiency, air quality and thermal comfort in the built environment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    5. Xiaoyang Zhong & Mingming Hu & Sebastiaan Deetman & Bernhard Steubing & Hai Xiang Lin & Glenn Aguilar Hernandez & Carina Harpprecht & Chunbo Zhang & Arnold Tukker & Paul Behrens, 2021. "Global greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial building materials and mitigation strategies to 2060," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Kristian S. Nielsen & Kimberly A. Nicholas & Felix Creutzig & Thomas Dietz & Paul C. Stern, 2021. "The role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 6(11), pages 1011-1016, November.
    7. Tan, Hongjun & Guo, Zhiling & Zhang, Haoran & Chen, Qi & Lin, Zhenjia & Chen, Yuntian & Yan, Jinyue, 2023. "Enhancing PV panel segmentation in remote sensing images with constraint refinement modules," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).
    8. Yu, Qing & Wang, Zhen & Song, Yancun & Shen, Xinwei & Zhang, Haoran, 2024. "Potential and flexibility analysis of electric taxi fleets V2G system based on trajectory data and agent-based modeling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    9. Yang, Xiaoshan & Peng, Lilliana L.H. & Jiang, Zhidian & Chen, Yuan & Yao, Lingye & He, Yunfei & Xu, Tianjing, 2020. "Impact of urban heat island on energy demand in buildings: Local climate zones in Nanjing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    10. Bouncken, Ricarda B. & Aslam, Muhammad Mahmood & Qiu, Yixin, 2021. "Coworking spaces: Understanding, using, and managing sociomateriality," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 119-130.
    11. Zheng, Zhuang & Shafique, Muhammad & Luo, Xiaowei & Wang, Shengwei, 2024. "A systematic review towards integrative energy management of smart grids and urban energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    12. Jiang, Peng & Fan, Yee Van & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír, 2021. "Impacts of COVID-19 on energy demand and consumption: Challenges, lessons and emerging opportunities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    13. Liu, Zhengguang & Guo, Zhiling & Song, Chenchen & Du, Ying & Chen, Qi & Chen, Yuntian & Zhang, Haoran, 2023. "Business model comparison of slum-based PV to realize low-cost and flexible power generation in city-level," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kong, Rui & Zhang, Hainan & Tang, Mingsheng & Zou, Huiming & Tian, Changqing & Ding, Tao, 2024. "Enhancing data center cooling efficiency and ability: A comprehensive review of direct liquid cooling technologies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    2. Cheng, Lefeng & Yu, Feng & Huang, Pengrong & Liu, Guiyun & Zhang, Mengya & Sun, Runbao, 2025. "Game-theoretic evolution in renewable energy systems: Advancing sustainable energy management and decision optimization in decentralized power markets," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    3. Wang, Feng & Chen, Zhiyuan, 2025. "Comparison of county-level rooftop photovoltaic development models in China's electricity spot market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    4. John Kaiser Calautit & Hassam Nasarullah Chaudhry, 2022. "Sustainable Buildings: Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-5, November.
    5. Zhang, Chengquan & Kitamura, Hiroshi & Goto, Mika, 2024. "Feasibility of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) implementation in Japan: A regional analysis of the electricity supply and demand adjustment market," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    6. Donath Asiimire. & Robert Mugabe. & Dr. Nuwatuhaire Benard., 2024. "High Income Levels and Domestic Violence among Couples in Mbarara City, Mbarara District," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(6), pages 1558-1568, June.
    7. Jinhui Ma & Haijing Huang & Mingxi Peng & Yihuan Zhou, 2024. "Investigating the Heterogeneity Effects of Urban Morphology on Building Energy Consumption from a Spatio-Temporal Perspective Using Old Residential Buildings on a University Campus," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-24, October.
    8. Małgorzata Sztorc, 2022. "The Implementation of the European Green Deal Strategy as a Challenge for Energy Management in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-21, April.
    9. Mangla, Sachin Kumar & Srivastava, Praveen Ranjan & Eachempati, Prajwal & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar, 2024. "Exploring the impact of key performance factors on energy markets: From energy risk management perspectives," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    10. Gitelman, Lazar & Kozhevnikov, Mikhail & Ditenberg, Maksim, 2024. "Electrification as a factor in replacing hydrocarbon fuel," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    11. Dong, Kangyin & Zhao, Congyu & Nepal, Rabindra & Zander, Kerstin K., 2025. "Are natural disasters stumbling blocks to carbon inequality mitigation? A global perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    12. Zhong, Meirui & Zhang, Rui & Ren, Xiaohang, 2023. "The time-varying effects of liquidity and market efficiency of the European Union carbon market: Evidence from the TVP-SVAR-SV approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    13. Lange, Florian & Van Asbroeck, Ranja & Van Baelen, Dimitri & Dewitte, Siegfried, 2024. "For cash, the planet, or for both: Evaluating an informational intervention for energy consumption reduction," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    14. M. A. Hannan & M. S. Abd Rahman & Ali Q. Al-Shetwi & R. A. Begum & Pin Jern Ker & M. Mansor & M. S. Mia & M. J. Hossain & Z. Y. Dong & T. M. I. Mahlia, 2022. "Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Severity on Environment, Economy and Society towards Affecting Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-23, November.
    15. Rui Zhang & Ruikai Hong & Qiannan Li & Xu He & Age Shama & Jichao Lv & Renzhe Wu, 2025. "Optimizing PV Panel Segmentation in Complex Environments Using Pre-Training and Simulated Annealing Algorithm: The JSWPVI," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, June.
    16. Xie, Xuan & Pan, Zihao & Yin, Bifeng & Yang, Liyu & Shi, Rui & Tan, Guirong, 2025. "Design and assessment of V2G systems for hybrid vehicles based on fuel cells, power batteries and photovoltaic cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    17. Razzaq, Asif & Sharif, Arshian & Ozturk, Ilhan & Skare, Marinko, 2022. "Inclusive infrastructure development, green innovation, and sustainable resource management: Evidence from China’s trade-adjusted material footprints," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    18. Yael Nidam & Ali Irani & Jamie Bemis & Christoph Reinhart, 2023. "Census-based urban building energy modeling to evaluate the effectiveness of retrofit programs," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(9), pages 2394-2406, November.
    19. Ana Salomé García-Muñiz & María Rosalía Vicente, 2021. "The Effects of Informational Feedback on the Energy Consumption of Online Services: Some Evidence for the European Union," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-14, May.
    20. Zhikun Ding & Rongsheng Liu & Zongjie Li & Cheng Fan, 2020. "A Thematic Network-Based Methodology for the Research Trend Identification in Building Energy Management," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-33, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:401:y:2025:i:pb:s0306261925013601. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.